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The role of supply-chain initiatives in reducing deforestation

Nature Climate Change volume 8, pages 109–116 (2018)Cite this article

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Abstract

A major reduction in global deforestation is needed to mitigate climate change and biodiversity loss. Recent private sector commitments aim to eliminate deforestation from a company’s operations or supply chain, but they fall short on several fronts. Company pledges vary in the degree to which they include time-bound interventions with clear definitions and criteria to achieve verifiable outcomes. Zero-deforestation policies by companies may be insufficient to achieve broader impact on their own due to leakage, lack of transparency and traceability, selective adoption and smallholder marginalization. Public–private policy mixes are needed to increase the effectiveness of supply-chain initiatives that aim to reduce deforestation. We review current supply-chain initiatives, their effectiveness, and the challenges they face, and go on to identify knowledge gaps for complementary public–private policies.

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Acknowledgements

This research was funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation Grant GBMF 426.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA

    Eric F. Lambin

  2. Woods Institute for the Environment, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA

    Eric F. Lambin

  3. Georges Lemaître Earth and Climate Research Centre, Earth and Life Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium

    Eric F. Lambin

  4. Department of Geography, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA

    Holly K. Gibbs

  5. Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment (SAGE), Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA

    Holly K. Gibbs & Lisa L. Rausch

  6. Environmental Studies Program, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA

    Robert Heilmayr

  7. Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management, University of Hawai’i, Honolulu, HI, USA

    Kimberly M. Carlson

  8. Environmental Conservation Program, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Palo Alto, CA, USA

    Leonardo C. Fleck

  9. Department of Earth and Environment, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA

    Rachael D. Garrett & Christoph Nolte

  10. Institute for the Study of International Development & Department of Geography, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

    Yann le Polain de Waroux

  11. Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

    Constance L. McDermott

  12. World Wildlife Fund, Washington, DC, USA

    David McLaughlin

  13. Environmental Studies Program, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA

    Peter Newton

  14. Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), Bogor Barat, Indonesia

    Pablo Pacheco

  15. Climate Focus, Washington, DC, USA

    Charlotte Streck

  16. Emmett Interdisciplinary Program in Environment and Resources, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA

    Tannis Thorlakson

  17. National Wildlife Federation, National Advocacy Center, Washington, DC, USA

    Nathalie F. Walker

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  1. Eric F. Lambin
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Contributions

E.F.L. and H.K.G. conceived and chaired the workshop that led to this paper. E.F.L., H.K.G. and R.H. led the paper writing. R.H., K.M.C., L.C.F., R.D.G., Y.l.P.d.W., C.L.McD., D.McL., P.N., C.N., P.P., L.L.R., C.S., T.T. and N.F.W. actively participated at the workshop and contributed to writing the paper.

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Correspondence to Eric F. Lambin.

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Lambin, E.F., Gibbs, H.K., Heilmayr, R. et al. The role of supply-chain initiatives in reducing deforestation. Nature Clim Change 8, 109–116 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-017-0061-1

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